The United States pharmaceutical industry is huge. It is easy to tell why. Nearly half of the country says they have taken a prescription medication at least once within the last month. In 2010, more than 271 million prescriptions were written by medical professionals in the hospital emergency room. For outpatients, medical professionals in 2010 prescribed more than 285 million. When they develop medication, the packaging is very important. It protects the drug but also can protect people from taking it. From bottle filling to blister packaging keep the quality of the product up is incredibly important to the industry as a whole. Should a product be deemed not safe, for any reason, that company’s brand would definitely suffer.
In terms of what they prefer, blister packaging seems to be the order of the day. Though it is not the only kind of packaging they have available to them. Bottle filling is another as are pouches, sachets, too. The industry is so enamored with the kind of packaging for a number of reasons.It is an incredibly reliable form of packaging.
Products in blister packaging are protected from gas and moisture and have a longer shelf life than some other forms of pharma packaging. This leads them to last a long time in medicine cabinets and on store shelves. Patients like them because they can keep their prescriptions longer in case they need them.
Unlike bottle filling, blister packaging offers the pharmaceutical companies with a very cost effective way to pack their products. It is also easy to produce in the volumes needed by the larger pharmaceutical companies. This is why is it popular among professionals in the industry.
Another thing patients love about the packaging option is how easy it is use. The instructions are clear and the4 dose is pretty much laid out, something you do not get with traditional bottle filling. They just simplify taking medication. For people who take multiple drugs, it can be especially helpful. There are packs designed to keep children out of them but to help older adults open them. Any woman who has even taken the pill can tell you that it makes it hard to miss a dose but also easy to find. You will not forget you took it because you can see from the package if you have taken your most recent dose or not.
The packages themselves seem to lend themselves to marketing. The boxes are bigger than what you get when you rely on bottle fitting. Drug manufacturers can put products on the shelves that get people’s attention and that is what most companies want to accomplish. There also different types of blister packaging that can make the product stand out from the crowd. When it is folded over, it is called a clam package, for instance.
Another benefit to drug companies that want their items to stand out is the ability to add more information than they can with bottle filling, for instance. They can include promotional information as well as patient information about the drug they are taking. If you have taken anything from a blister pack you know how much data they can fit on and in it. It is very good for branding new drugs or companies. They can even put in coupons or other items to promote consumer loyalty.
Blister packaging also maintains the integrity of the product. There is a large problem in the country with counterfeited medications. Use of this kind of packaging makes it easier to scan and track the different medications as they wind through the medical system. This process is often referred to as “track and trace pharmaceutical.” It helps to be able to do this kind of thing with medications.
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The pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest in the word. It is estimated that its worth in the United States was about $231.46 billion in 2011. It has only grown since then as new drugs are being developed all of the time and they are products people need and want. Given how much they have to offer, it is not surprising that these companies prefer blister packaging to other kinds.
